Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-12-08
GOVERNMENT WIRES.
The Proposition for a Postal Tele-
graph Considered.
some Of the us..ObjeetioRs to the
Observation-Disclosures of the Pa
ternai Idea OF GOvernment-Failur
OF the British System-What Next.



EDITOR HAwKEYE: Senator Cullom's
interstate commerce law, although sad>
ding 100000 per annum upon the tax
payers to secure its meet Interpretation
and fair start. Il can recollect but few
other federal laws requiring iO has sue
ceeded IN creating a tremendous feeling
against railroads in general, the claim be-
ing that because they are carrying out its
provisions, they are endeavoring to make
the law odious. Apparently it has a sim
gular adaptabliiy to becoming od.ous.
Every railroad in Iowa. and presume
this state is no exception, fully expects to
be Squeezed" during this winters leeis-
lation nj Des Moines, for the reason that
while living strictly up to the require
ments Of the law. their patrons generally
are claiming Discrimination against their
particular loo .llity in favor of some other.
Yet the honorable senator appears 10 be
laborlng under the impression that his
new law has so thoroughly eradicated all
evils in rairoading. that he can now give
that subject a rest, ana turn his desire
for conquest to new fields. He gives no.
| tice that at the next session of congress
he will move upon the telegraph He
| will probably soon leave that in aG
equally chaotic state and move upon
something else.
In due course of time if the honorable
senator's views prevail, we may expect
to see Uncle Sam monopoliZDg the run
ming of all railroads, lclegraphs. express,
sleeping cars, horse cars, and why not
also steamboats,, schooners, Gncluding
schoouers OF beer groceries, dry goods,
milliner shops and aundries Then will
dawn the happy day when whichever
political psr;y may be on top. can be
safely considered as much ''stayer" as
though this country was a Kingdom; and
the happy man, whether called president
or king. he succeeded only by his eldest
born. The control of votes which this
state of affairs would surely bring would
assurely compel taxpayers to make good
all losses in either of the varied channels
of trade into which Uncle Sam might
choose to embark. True his conductors,
telegraph operators, express messengers,
sleeping car employees. horse car drivers,
dry goods clerks, saloon keepers. etc,
might not have the careful training they
now do, but they could vote, and thus
fully compensate for all shortcomings,
and the public be d. d" sentiment would
be much more fashionable than now.
The political party that bankers after
this government postal telegraph plank
to put into its platform. viii please help
itself, and settle Tor it with the tax pay
ers afterward
Great Britain has tried the experiment
for seventeen years, and although the
deficit annually increases, the govern
ment, like the man holding the bull by
the tail. cannot let go. 1t could not hon,
estly go into the telegraph business, and
use its full power against existing private
companies which had right to expect
government protection, so it borrowed
S54 402 ,S65 and purchased their plants al
a fair valuation. With the most favora-
Bile figuring that its experts could show
the system has never been self sustain
ing. and for the last six years, as per last
report of the postmaster general of Grea
Britain, the deficits are as follows: